By Ronnie Nathanielsz
A PLANNED showdown between former stablemates and occasional sparring partners Manny Pacquiao and Britain’s Amir Khan is being planned for late this year or early next year.
This was agreed upon during a meeting in London between Pacquiao, the WBO welterweight and eight-division world champion, and Khan, the current WBC welterweight Silver champion, who is coming off two impressive victories over Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander.
BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard/Viva Sports learned that during their recent meeting at a gym in London, the Filipino’s longtime adviser Michael Koncz, who had first broached the idea to Khan even before he fought Alexander, discussed a possible fight with the Briton.
Pacquiao indicated he was keen on facing Khan and wanted the fight to be staged in London, possibly at Wembley Stadium sometime in the last quarter of the year or the first quarter of next year.
Both Pacquiao and Khan, as well as Koncz, believe it would be an exciting fight between the two boxers, who had previously trained together under Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and also in the Philippine summer capital of Baguio City.
Khan himself said he had a good meeting with Pacquiao and Koncz and should the Floyd Mayweather Jr fight now happen, a Pacquiao-Khan fight was a viable alternative that both sides were confident, would sell.
News of the planned Pacquiao-Khan fight reached the Manila Standard even as both sides kept their silence of any developments in the negotiations towards a long and eagerly awaited title fight between Pacquiao and undefeated pound-for-pound king Mayweather Jr., with both sides indicating the fight was not a done deal, with several issues still to be resolved.
Mayweather was reportedly in the Dominican Republic relaxing before his planned four-day visit to Australia on Wednesday.
